AHS: 1984 Includes A Real Vicious LA Serial Killer

AHS: 1984 Includes A Real Killer That Still Strikes Fear In The Hearts Of L.A. Residents

By now, American Horror Story fans have fully immersed themselves in AHS: 1984, the new season which takes place at a fictional summer camp during the summer of 1984.

Camp Redwood has a bloody history, as we learned in the AHS: 1984 premiere: In 1970, the worst summer camp massacre in history took place there, when a mass murderer killed a slew of young campers and three counselors — collecting their ears as trophies (nope). And as it turns out, some of AHS: 1984 is inspired by true story.

In the show’s present (which is, of course, 1984), Camp Redwood has re-opened just as convicted mass murderer Mr. Jingles (John Carroll Lynch) has escaped from the mental hospital. Until now, he’d been kept there following his trial and conviction for the Camp Redwood massacre. He seems hellbent on revenge, returning to the scene of the crime to finish the job he started years ago. The real thorn in his side? One victim (played by Leslie Grossman) survived the massacre, acted as the star witness in his trial, and is the person responsible for re-opening the camp. Bad news all around — but there's more.

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Not only is Mr. Jingles back to haunt Camp Redwood, but the Los Angeles area is plagued by another serial killer, one who attacks our protagonist Brooke (Emma Roberts) in the AHS: 1984 premiere. The Night Stalker (Zach Villa), as he’s called, also pops up at the end of the episode, watching Brooke from afar.

AHS has obviously taken some liberties with the Night Stalker — namely sending him to to a fictional summer camp to chase fictional escaped victims — and Mr. Jingles appears to be a made-up killer. Still, adding that dash of reality, especially by evoking a killer who struck fear in the hearts of all of Los Angeles throughout the summers of 1984 and 1985, is extra chilling.